Firefall developer Red 5 has been so inspired by the level of support and good will towards it for its planned SOPA/PIPA protest tomorrow that it has made them think that there needs to be more advocacy for gamers and game makers. With that in mind, they have launched League for Gamers, an advocacy group that will fight against government and corporate efforts to stifle the free speech and creativity of gamers. The group hopes to be like the Video Game Voters Network - but without the obvious conflict of interest the ESA's advocacy group suffers from.

The group's first order of business is to continue to fight against SOPA and PIPA. While House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has declared SOPA "shelved," it would be naive to think the bill is dead at this point, because it's not. Add to that point the fact that PIPA is still being pushed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for a floor vote on Jan. 24, and there are still plenty of reasons for everyone to have concerns.

League of Gamers has a petition at Change.org created by Red 5 Studios CEO Mark Cern asking the gaming public (including the press) to boycott the ESA and its trade show - the Electronic Entertainment Expo - later this year. From the petition:

"The ESA's support of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), is a direct attack on free speech and innovation in gaming. SOPA would allow corporations and the US government to shut down any site on the internet. The ESA is a direct supporter of this bill, and as a gamer, you can fight back by signing this petition, and asking press to boycott E3, the ESA largest money maker. This petition is sponsored by the League For Gamers, a new gamer and developer advocacy group. Visit us at www.leagueforgamers.org."